Algeria public procurement glossary

Definitions of the key terms used in Algerian public procurement (marchés publics). French terms are given where they are the standard administrative usage in tender documents.

A B C D E F G I J L M N O P Q R S T V W

A

AAPI — Agence Algérienne de Promotion de l'Investissement: National investment promotion agency (successor to ANDI/ANPI under the 2022 investment framework). Relevant for foreign companies establishing presence in Algeria.
Accusé de Réception: A dated and stamped receipt issued by the contracting authority at bid submission. This is the official proof that your bid was received before the deadline. Always request this at submission.
Addendum (pl. Addenda): An official amendment to the cahier des charges issued by the contracting authority after the initial publication. Addenda are binding on all bidders and must be incorporated into the bid. Missing an addendum is a common cause of non-compliant bids.
Adjudicataire: The winning bidder — the company to whom the contract is awarded.
Administration Contractante: The contracting authority — the public entity (ministry, agency, SOE) issuing the tender and signing the contract.
Affermage: A public service concession where a private company manages a public service under contract with the state. Different from a standard procurement contract.
Allotissement: Division of a large contract into multiple lots (packages) that can be bid on separately. Companies may bid on one or multiple lots. Common in large supply and works contracts.
Apostille: Official certification under the Hague Convention confirming the authenticity of a public document issued in one signatory country for use in another. All foreign documents submitted in Algerian tenders must be apostilled (or legalized via consular chain for non-Hague countries).
Appel d'Offres: Competitive tender — the standard procurement procedure for contracts above legal thresholds. All eligible companies may submit a bid. The most common procurement procedure in Algeria.
Appel d'Offres Restreint: Restricted tender — only companies pre-selected by the contracting authority are invited to bid. Used for specialized contracts where the market of qualified suppliers is limited.
Aval Bancaire: Bank guarantee — see Caution Provisoire, Garantie de Bonne Exécution.
Avance Sur Marché: Advance payment on a public contract — up to 15% of contract value, conditional on a bank guarantee (caution de remboursement d'avance) of equal value.
AVELANT — Avenant: Contract amendment — a formal modification to an existing public contract. Requires approval by the contracting authority. Cannot exceed 10% of original contract value without a new tender procedure.
Avis d'Appel d'Offres (aao): Tender notice — the official publication announcing a tender, published in BOMOP and/or BAOSEM. Contains: contracting authority, contract subject, acquisition deadline, submission deadline, and dossier acquisition instructions.
Avis d'Attribution: Award notice — the official publication in BOMOP announcing which company was awarded the contract.

B

BAOSEM — Plateforme de Dématérialisation des Marchés Publics: Algeria's official electronic public procurement platform. Progressively replacing paper-based publication for tender notices and enabling electronic bid submission. URL: baosem.gov.dz
BEA — Banque Extérieure d'Algérie: One of Algeria's main state commercial banks. Relevant for foreign companies establishing banking relationships for guarantee issuance.
BNA — Banque Nationale d'Algérie: Algeria's primary state commercial bank. Commonly used for public sector banking transactions.
BOMOP — Bulletin Officiel des Marchés de l'Opérateur Public: The official Algerian government gazette for public procurement. Published weekly. All tenders above legal thresholds must be published in BOMOP. The legal reference for all public contracts.
BTP — Bâtiment et Travaux Publics: Construction and public works — the French acronym for the construction sector, used extensively in Algerian procurement classification.
Bureau de Liaison: Liaison office — a limited form of legal presence in Algeria for foreign companies. Can represent the company but cannot conduct commercial activity, issue invoices, or sign contracts.

C

Cahier des Charges (cdc): The specifications dossier — the complete tender document package issued by the contracting authority. Contains: technical specifications, administrative requirements, evaluation grid, bill of quantities, draft contract, and submission instructions. The most important document in any Algerian tender.
Cahier des Prescriptions Communes (cpc): General standard clauses applicable to all public contracts in a given sector. Part of the cahier des charges.
Cahier des Prescriptions Spéciales (cps): Contract-specific clauses particular to this tender. The most important section of the cahier des charges for understanding what is specifically required.
Caution de Remboursement d'Avance: Bank guarantee issued to secure the advance payment. Equal to the advance payment amount. Released progressively as the advance is recovered through milestone payments.
Caution Provisoire: Bid bond — a bank guarantee submitted with the bid, typically 1–3% of estimated contract value. Guarantees the bidder will not withdraw after submission. Released to non-winning bidders after contract award.
CNRC — Centre National du Registre de Commerce: Algeria's commercial register authority. Foreign companies establishing a branch or JV in Algeria register here.
Commission d'Évaluation des Offres: Evaluation commission — the technical body that scores and ranks bids according to the evaluation grid in the cahier des charges.
Commission d'Ouverture des Plis: Bid opening commission — the official body that opens and records submitted bids at the public opening session. All bidders may attend this session.
Contrôleur Financier: Financial controller — a state official who reviews and validates public contract awards above certain value thresholds. Contract signature is conditional on financial controller approval.
CPA — Crédit Populaire d'Algérie: One of Algeria's state commercial banks, relevant for banking relationships and guarantee issuance.

D

Déclaration de Candidature: Formal declaration of candidacy — a mandatory document submitted with every bid, signed by the company's legal representative, declaring eligibility and acceptance of procurement rules.
Délai de Validité des Offres: Bid validity period — the period during which the bidder is bound by its submitted offer. Typically 90–120 days from the submission deadline. Your caution provisoire must cover this period.
Dossier Administratif: Administrative dossier — Envelope 1 of a standard Algerian bid submission. Contains all legal, fiscal, and financial eligibility documents.
DZD — Dinar Algérien: Algerian Dinar — the currency in which all Algerian public contracts are denominated and paid. No foreign currency payment provisions exist in Algerian public contracts.

E

EPC — Engineering, Procurement, Construction: Integrated engineering-procurement-construction contract. Common in energy and industrial project procurement in Algeria (Sonatrach, Sonelgaz).

F

Facture / Situation de Travaux: Invoice / work progress certificate — the document submitted by the contractor to claim payment for completed milestones. Must be certified by the contracting authority's technical supervisor before payment is triggered.
Force Majeure: Exceptional, unforeseeable events beyond the parties' control (natural disaster, war, epidemic) that excuse non-performance. Definition and notice requirements are specified in the contract. Unlike international contracts, force majeure in Algerian public contracts does not always result in financial compensation — only deadline extensions in many cases.
Frais de Retrait du Dossier: Dossier acquisition fee — the administrative fee paid to receive the cahier des charges. Typically DZD 2,000–50,000 depending on contract size.

G

Garantie de Bonne Exécution (gbe): Performance bond — a bank guarantee provided at contract signature, typically 5–10% of contract value. Guarantees contract execution. Released after final acceptance (réception définitive).
Gestion de Projet / Maîtrise d'Ouvrage: Project owner / project management — the contracting authority or its delegated representative responsible for overseeing contract execution.
Grille d'Évaluation: Evaluation grid — the weighted scoring matrix specified in the cahier des charges. Defines how technical and financial offers are scored. Must be read before preparing any bid content.
Groupement d'Entreprises: Joint bid consortium — two or more companies submitting a single bid together, each responsible for a defined scope. One partner is designated as mandataire (lead). Does not create a new legal entity.

I

Intégration Nationale: Local content requirement — the percentage of goods, labor, or services that must originate from or be performed by Algerian entities in a public contract. Specified in the cahier des charges. Ranges from 10% (ICT) to 51% (some construction categories).

J

Journal Officiel de la Republique Algerienne (jora): Algeria's official gazette for laws and regulations. Decrees governing procurement are published here.

L

Lettre de Caution: Bank guarantee letter — the formal document issued by an Algerian bank certifying the caution provisoire or garantie de bonne exécution. Must be an original document, signed by an authorized bank official.
Loi 23-12: Law No. 23-12 of 5 August 2023 on the general rules governing public procurement — the primary legal instrument for all public procurement in Algeria. Replaces Presidential Decree 15-247.
Lot: A defined package within a multi-lot tender. Bidders may submit for one or multiple lots.

M

Maître d'Oeuvre: Project supervisor — the technical entity (architect, engineer) that designs and supervises works on behalf of the project owner. May be a separate entity from the contracting authority.
Maître d'Ouvrage: Project owner — the contracting authority that commissions and pays for the contract.
Mandataire: Lead partner in a groupement d'entreprises (consortium). Represents the group before the contracting authority, signs the contract, and manages payments.
Marché de Gré À Gré: Negotiated contract — direct award without competitive tender. Permitted only in specific circumstances defined by Law 23-12 (e.g., sole source, emergency, classified needs).
Marché Public: Public contract — any contract between a public entity and a private company for the supply of goods, services, or works, governed by Law 23-12.
Marge de préférence: Preference margin — competitive advantage granted to Algerian companies in evaluation: under the public procurement rules, up to 25%. An Algerian bid can be up to 25% more expensive than a foreign bid and still compete on the financial score (exact method set in the cahier des charges).
Mise À Jour Cnas: Social security compliance certificate — required for companies already operating in Algeria. Confirms payment of all social security contributions.
Mise À Jour Fiscale: Tax compliance certificate — required for companies already operating in Algeria. Confirms payment of all Algerian tax obligations.

N

NIF — Numéro d'Identification Fiscale: Tax identification number — required for companies registered in Algeria (branch, JV, or established entity).

O

Offre Financière: Financial offer — Envelope 3 of a standard Algerian bid. Contains the completed bill of quantities, unit rates, and total price.
Offre Technique: Technical offer — Envelope 2 of a standard Algerian bid. Contains the methodology, team CVs, references, local content plan, project schedule, and quality plan.
Ouverture des Plis: Bid opening session — public session held on the submission deadline date where all received bids are opened and recorded. All bidders may attend.

P

Pénalités de Retard: Delay penalties — financial penalties charged for late completion. Typically 1/1000 of contract value per day of delay, capped at a maximum percentage (usually 5–10%). Specified in the contract.
Plis / Enveloppes: Envelopes — the sealed submission packages. Standard Algerian tender requires three: administrative dossier (Envelope 1), technical offer (Envelope 2), financial offer (Envelope 3), all inside one outer envelope.

Q

Qualification Professionnelle: Professional qualification certificate — required for construction and engineering companies. Issued by competent authorities in the home country and must be translated and apostilled.

R

Réception Définitive: Final acceptance — formal inspection and acceptance of completed works or deliveries after the warranty period. Triggers release of performance bond and retention withholding.
Réception Provisoire: Provisional acceptance — initial acceptance of completed works at handover. Starts the warranty (défaut period). Does not yet trigger retention release.
Registre de Commerce: Commercial register — proof of company registration. Must be less than 3 months old at submission and translated into Arabic.
Retenue de Garantie: Retention withholding — percentage (typically 5–10%) withheld from each payment until final acceptance. Can be replaced by a bank guarantee (caution de retenue de garantie).

S

Séance Publique d'Ouverture des Plis: Public bid opening session — see Ouverture des Plis.
Soumissionnaire: Bidder — a company that has submitted a bid in response to a tender.
Succursale: Branch office — a registered legal presence in Algeria for a foreign company. Can conduct commercial activity, sign contracts, and issue invoices. Requires 3–6 months to establish. Registered at the CNRC.

T

Traducteur Assermenté: Sworn translator — a translator officially certified by an Algerian court or consular authority. All foreign documents submitted in Algerian tenders must be translated by a traducteur assermenté. Machine translation is not accepted.

V

Variante: Alternative offer — a bid proposing a technical or commercial alternative to the specifications. Permitted only when explicitly authorized in the cahier des charges.
Visa du Contrôleur Financier: Financial controller approval — required for contract signature above defined value thresholds. A condition precedent to the contract becoming legally enforceable.

W

Wilaya: Algeria's 69 administrative provinces. Each wilaya has its own public works and services procurement authority (Direction des Travaux Publics, Direction des Services Agricoles, etc.).